Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Very Good News Israel

In the 23rd Sept edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Four brain-related stories, including new treatments for ADD/ADHT and Alzheimer’s disease.
· Haifa surgeons cure a Palestinian-Arab suffering from severe Alzheimer’s symptoms.
· Israeli miniature cameras will help refuel the International Space Station.
· Israel’s economy is growing more than expected and Internet start-ups have doubled.
· Israel has won through to the World Group of the Davis (tennis) Cup.
· Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary
Click here for “A New Year of Creation
Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli robotic spine surgery in the USA. Israel’s Mazor Robotics has just sold its 18th Renaissance robotic spinal surgical guidance system in the US – this time to the Parker Adventist Hospital in Denver. Parker is a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, so the latest sale is especially prestigious.

NeuroTech – the next big “thing”. Leading scientists from academia and industry gathered at the US-Israel Neurotechnology and Neuroscience Conference in Washington to showcase the latest research and cutting edge technologies in the US and Israel for investigating brain function and brain disorders.
Neurofeedback – treating ADD/ADHT kids. BrainGames- Israel monitors a child’s brainwaves whilst they play a computer game or watch a film. If the child’s attention begins to wander, the game or film changes, stops or slows. Focussing the mind continues the action / activity and thus conditions the child’s brain.
Human trials for Israeli Alzheimer’s treatment. (Thanks to Nocamels.) Ladostigil, from Israel’s Avraham Pharmaceuticals, relieves behavioural and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. In lab animals, the medication also slows the progression of symptoms and prolongs life. Results of human trials are due end 2012.
Million-dollar brain prize. The organisation Israel Brain Technologies (IBT) is offering a $1 million to anyone who can come up with a breakthrough brain technology, one that will make life better for everyone. It is aptly named the Global B.R.A.I.N. (Breakthrough Research And Innovation in Neurotechnology) Prize.
Hold onto those tonsils. A team of researchers at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba has discovered that Montelukast, an anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of asthma, helped open the closed airways caused by enlarged tonsils. It is an alternative to a major surgical operation for children.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel treats Palestinian Arab for Parkinson’s. Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center have cured 51 year-old Palestinian Arab accountant Tarik Sadek Abu Baker of severe Parkinson’s disease using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy. Having been barely able to move or talk, he now has no visible symptoms.
Interns wanted. This Janglo advert offers two individuals the opportunity to work at the Arab Jewish Community Centre in Jaffa (Yaffo). The American Corner Yaffo (ACY) program includes tutoring services, and After School Clubs that bring American sports, culture, games, etc to the local children.
Helping women to become doctors. The Israel Medical Association’s Scientific Council and the Health Ministry are piloting a program to enable physicians to complete their hospital residencies in part-time hospital work. It aims to enable young women to both have families and specialize, thereby reducing doctor shortages.
Blazing new trails for people with disabilities. (Thanks to Israel21c) Please read this new feature article on the work of non-profit organisation Beit Issie Shapiro (BIS). It contains a description of the BIS Friendship Park (Park Chaverim), Israel’s first accessible and inclusive playground.
Learn to defend yourself (part 2). Sgt Rachel Shir presents the second part of the series of how to use the IDF’s home-developed self-defence martial art Krav Maga to protect yourself from a violent attack. If you missed the first episode, I’ve also included the link beneath the latest one.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Electricity from waste. Israel’s Even Yehuda-based Blue Sphere is to manage two US projects for producing electricity from biogas – methane originating from organic waste. Germany’s Biogas Nord will provide the equipment. A further eight similar US projects are in Blue Sphere’s pipeline.
Nice prize for NICE Systems. Israeli hi-tech company NICE won the award for Ingenuity in Language Technology, at the 2012 LT-Innovate Summit in Brussels. NICE’s semantic inference platform interprets and links the meaning of phrases used by customers whether through speech, email or social media.
Israeli cameras in orbit. Israel’s Medigus will supply its miniature video cameras and video processing equipment for NASA’s Robotic Refuelling Mission. In 2013, NASA intends to send a robot to the International Space Station equipped with a 0.99-millimeter camera, which Medigus says is the smallest in the world.
Smart communications for 1WTC. The Israeli company Techmer will deploy its smart communication systems at One World Trade Center (1 WTC), the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The technology will work during power outages and extreme conditions.
Make your TV recognise your hand signals. (Thanks to NoCamels) Israeli company eyeSight has joined up with Korean company Innodigital to produce a TV set-top box that turns any television set into a gesture-controlled smart TV. The product, called nTobeBox, will use a simple 2D camera.
Night of the scientists. On 24th September, twelve top Israeli academic institutions will hold an open evening showcasing Computer Science to mark the centenary of birth of Alan Turing, the “father of the computer era”. The public can meet scientists, tour laboratories, experience workshops and hear lectures and presentations.
App to add new contacts. (Thanks to NoCamels) An Israeli application, called Ringya, allows you to photograph and upload lists of contact addresses to your iPhone. It even recognises scrappy handwritten addresses, business cards etc.
On the crest of a wave. (Thanks to Israel21c) Prof. George Weiss, of Tel Aviv University has created a computer algorithm, which could substantially improve the functioning of wave energy converters used in producing electrical energy from ocean waves.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economy improves. The reason I didn’t publicise last month’s announcement that Israel’s 2nd quarter GDP growth was a healthy 3.2% was because I didn’t trust the early figures. That will teach me – the Central Bureau of Statistics has more up-to-date information and revised up growth for the quarter to 3.4%.
Huge jump in new start-ups. 199 new Israeli start-ups were founded in the second quarter of 2012 compared to 114 in each of the previous two quarters. The majority of the increase was in the number of Internet companies (102 compared to 53 and 63 in each of the previous two quarters).
Israel innovates in commerce. Speaking at the HTIA2012 hi-tech conference in Jerusalem, eBay CEO John Donahoe said that the Israel R&D centers of the E-commerce giant and its subsidiary PayPal will continue to help drive the company’s innovation in commerce and payment in the foreseeable future.
India and Israel make fashionable agreement. Following the Textile and Apparel Show in Israel, India and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand business and cooperation in the sphere of clothing & fashion industries, innovative technologies and possible solutions for the textile industry.
From little seeds….. Hishtil Nurseries, based at Moshav Nehalim near Petah Tikva, exports its specially grafted vegetable seedlings all over the world, including South Africa and Turkey –countries that don’t have great relations with the Jewish State. Hishtil’s seeds provide greater yields and are environmentally friendly.
Milking it in Belarus. Israel’s AfiMilk has won a large order from Belarus for its advanced milking parlours. Upgrading the Eastern European country’s milking system will save its milk industry, which has just suffered a huge blow by a ban on the import of Belarusian dairy products by the Russian government.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli victory in Davis Cup. Israel beat Japan 3-2 in Japan to advance to the top World Group of tennis’s Davis Cup. Israel’s Amir Weintraub, ranked 223 in the world, won the high-pressure deciding match in four sets, against Japan’s Go Soeda who is ranked 170 places above him at number 53.
On the way back up. Israeli hero Nadav Ben Yehuda is back to his favourite sport. In May, Nadav abandoned his record-breaking attempt to climb Mount Everest in order to save a Turkish climber. Now Nadav has scaled the 5,033 meters (16,512 feet), Georgian peak of Mount Kazbeck, planting an Israeli flag on the summit.
Israeli honey is the “bees knees”. The average Israeli consumer will buy two kilos of honey for the holiday season. Speciality honeys include organic honey, marzipan honey and halva honey. Flavours are introduced by placing hives near eucalyptus and citrus, avocado and apple groves. Or try onion and desert flower.
In the swim. 10,000 participated in the annual Crossing Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) Swim – one of the largest amateur sports events in Israel. They included the British Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould who led a team of swimmers from the UK Embassy.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israel hosts security conference. The International Homeland Security Conference will take place in Tel Aviv during November. Its speakers include a former US Chief of Staff, the Head of Security for FIFA 2014 and the Chief Commander of Milan’s Police. Plus a host of Israeli experts, of course.
“Suddenly we’re Jews”. The organisation Shavei Israel has helped many people discover their Jewish roots. Here are three moving stories about how it helped a Portuguese, a Chinese and a Pole to reconnect with their ancestors.
US volunteers in Israeli schools. The number of high calibre college North American graduates participating in the Israel Teaching Fellows program, has grown from 68 last year to 170 in the current school year. Teaching in Israel is a meaningful volunteer opportunity, helps build a strong resume and strengthens bonds.
Israeli prisons are like paradise. Please tell anti-Israel activists at Amnesty International to watch MSNBC’s program “Lockup”. Jews and Israeli-Arabs are housed together and sometimes share cells. “I feel like I am in a hotel,” says one Israeli-Arab “resident”. Released prisoners achieve high levels of reintegration into society. Education, skills training and job placement helps prevent repeat offences. And read about Hamas inmates!
Oo La La – Aliya. There are 600,000 Jews in France, but one in every 300 is immigrating to Israel. French immigration first spiked above 2,000 in 2002 and reached nearly 3,000 in 2005. The French Consulate in Tel Aviv estimates that as many as 150,000 French Jews live in Israel. Many live in Netanya.

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